Puma accused of defacing Indian heritage for shoe commercial

NEW DELHI: Global sportswear giant Puma was accused on Tuesday of irreversibly damaging 17th-century architecture in Delhi’s historic quarter as part of an advertising stunt to promote a new line of shoes.

The facades of several buildings in Old Delhi have been spray painted with large colourful murals for the shoe campaign that Puma said “captures the grit of Indian streets” on its website.

But the stunt — dubbed “Suede Gully” after the shoe material and the Hindi word for street — has infuriated conservationists who accused Puma of defacing the centuries-old quarter built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

“It’s a heritage area. You can’t just go and paint what you like,” Swapna Liddle from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage reported.

“Permanent damage has been done to the carved sandstone, limestone plaster and Lahori bricks. “Those who made and approved this advertisement, those who stood by while this was done, are all responsible for this insensitive treatment.”

The owner of one Delhi building spray painted for the Puma campaign defended the decision as his only to make.”This is a private property and the graffiti is making the area look more beautiful. The area is looking better now, it is more lively,” Arun Khandelwal told the Indian Express.